Rod baking method and means



2 Shoeta-Shqetf 1 C. F. MAYER ROD BAKING METHOD AND IEMIS Filed Aug; 17, 1958- n m. k k? M u H kmfix ,3 m

I WW N e k NU ra. V: 1 (r Eu March 18 1941.

INVENTOR. Y Carl F. Mayer I M,M-\M

ATTORNEY-S2 3. F. MAYER 2.235.559

ROD BAKING METHOD AND BEANS Filed Aug. 17, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Carl F. Mayer v BY ATTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 18, 1941 UNITED STATES PATIENT OFFICE ROD name mz'rnon AND MEANS Carl F. Mayer, Lakewood, Ohio Application August 17, 1938, Serial No. 225,493

11 Claims. E 34-19) This invention relates to improvements in the method of and means for baking rods. I

Rod bakers are used fordrying rod or wire after it has been pickled and then dipped in a solution of lime or the like, as is well known to 7 those acquainted with the art. The lime coating serves to neutralize the acid used in the pickling process. In the baking step, wherewith this invention is concerned, the rod or wire, de- 0 sirably in the form of coils, is heated or baked for the purpose of driving oil the occluded hydrogen caused by the pickling operation and to leave deposited upon the wire or rod the dry lime that serves as a lubricant for the dies during the drawing operation.

The present embodiment of my invention is adapted to the prevailing arrangements of pick. ling and coating vats and naturally is intended for location at the concluding end of the so-called 20. cleaning line.

In general my improved rod baker is similar in type to apparatus that is now on the market but which prior apparatus has proven to be unsatisfactory in certain respects. As to the similarities, the drying or baking chamber is open at the top, and highly heated air is blasted into the ends of the chamber so as to enter the openings of the coils that are suspended side by side in axial alignment on an elongated element, the

air being recirculated and, in the course thereof,

revitalized and reheated.

In the prior apparatus cold air is directed horizontally across the chamber above the coils to form what is commonly known as an air curtain that serves to shut in all but enough of the hot gases to provide ventilation, the vented gases escaping into the room. The remainder of the hot .gases are drawn off at the bottom of the chamber and recirculated through a combustion.

chamber and again delivered to the drying or baking chamber. The curtain or stratum of cold air adjacent the tops of the coils comes in contact with the heated atmosphere of the chamber and causes condensation throughout this region and the condensate accumulates upon the upper sides of the coils, retarding the drying process and causing rust. Also,in the prior device there is a drainage of the moisture to the lower sides of the coils which further retards drying and causes rust.

It is the fundamental purpose of my invention to eliminate the above dimculties by drawing ofi the heated gases from the drying or baking chamber through a series of openings, desirably damper controlled, and having practically the effect of a continuous slot, that extends about the perimeter of the chamber, thus insuring ample ventilation, minimizing the escape of hot gases into the room, and at the same time creating a hot air curtain across the open top of the chamber immediately above the coils, in contradistinction to the former cold air curtain, and obviating condensation at this point, such hot air curtain being'overlaid by a body of moderated atmospheric air that is at tracted and partially drawn off from above the chamber by the suction.

Other objects are to recirculate the gases thus drawn 01! through a tempering chamber that is in intimate heat exchanging relation to a heater or combustion chamber, desirably surroundingit; and to revitalize the gases by admitting a measured quantity or fresh air at an advantageous point in the circuit.

Another object of the invention is to efiectively remove the moisture from the bottoms of the coils; and, according to the present embodiment of the invention, this is accomplished by providing a manifold that extends longitudinally of the chamber below the row of coils and is provided with outlets, preferably in the nature of adjustthe drying of the coils by rotating them about their axes. I'n the present instance this is accomplished by rotating the pin or shaft on which the coils are hung. It is obvious that by reason of the weight of the wire or rod the convolutions of the coils are more tightly compressed where they pass over the pin or shaft than they are throughout the remainder of the coils, especially in thedlametrically opposite region. On account of this condition the hot air that isblown into the openings of the coils is free to penetrate the coils throughout their lower regions, and by rotating the coils this condition is distributed entirely about the circumference of the coils. Furthermore, such rotation insures a more even distribution of the moisture wherewith the coils are laden when loaded into the baking or drying chamber.

Further and more general objects of my inven tion are to provide a rod baker of compact and relatively simple construction that is capable of handling a very large volume of air and that will maintain the same at the highest temperature permitted without injury to the air impelling means, thereby to insure rapid drying or baking, and that will operate economically due to minimum heat loss.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent as I proceed to describe the present embodiment in detail by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein Fig, 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through my improved rod baker, the plan of section, offset as it is, being indicated by the line ll of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a detail showing, in a somewhat diagrammatic and exaggerated manner, the

relative density or compressed condition of the upper and-lower portions of a coil as it hangs upon the pin or shaft.

A rectangular housing or casing A, consisting of insulated end walls I and 2, side walls 3 and 4, and bottom wall 5, is supported by a framework, designated generally by the reference numeral 6, from the bottom of a pit 7 so that the top of the aforesaid casing is a suitable distance above the plane of the floor 8. Metal gratings 9 bridge the space between the walls of the casing A and the edge of the floor about the pit, an opening being left at one point about the baker, which opening may or may not be covered by a removable grating section, to permit convenient access to the pit. As indicated in Fig. 1, steps [2 are provided down one side of the pit below such an opening, and the opening is protected by a rail l3.

Disposed within the aforesaid casing A is an open top drying or baking chamber l5 whose relatively heavy metal walls are spaced a substantial distance from the walls of the casing. The tops of the end and side walls of the chamber are flared and then flanged outwardly over the horizontal flanges of angle members l6 that surround the inner top edge of the insulated casing, and the top of the casing is reinforced and strengthened by plates l1 and channel members i8. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the insulated'walls of the casing A may be of the usual oven wall construction, comprising panels made up of sheet metal and insulating material, properly stiffened and strengthened by angle iron or the like; and the chamber l5 may be built up of plate and supported by a suitable framework (not shown) within the casing A.- The vertical walls of the drying or baking chamber are provided immediately below their outwardly flared upper ends with angularly related outwardly inclined portions 20 and 2 I, the former portions being provided with series of openings or ports 22 through which communication is established between the interior of the chamber l5 and a circulation space 25 between the walls of the chamber and the casing. The openings 22 are concorresponding in size and spacing with the openings 22 and are movably connected to the portions 1 20 of the chamber walls in any desired manner.

Situated adjacent the bottom of the pit 1 beneath one end of the casing A is a cylindrical housing 28 that encloses a tempering chamber 29; and disposed within this tempering chamber is a cylindrical combustion chamber 30, constructed of refractory material and desirably tapering toward its outlet end. Suitable combustion apparatus 3|, such as gas burners, are arranged to discharge their products into the combustion chamber through the front wall thereof, and through the supply of primary and secondary air in proper quantities, combustion is rendered complete within the chamber 30. The tempering chamber 29 communicates adjacent the front end of the combustion chamber with the circulation space 25 of the casing A through a vertical duct 33 to which fresh air is admitted through an opening 34-that is controlled by a damper or shutter 35. Beyond the inner or discharge end of the combustion chamber 30, the tempering chamber communicates, through a duct 36, with the inlet of an air impelling means or fan 40. This fan is desirably of the blower type and is constructed'to withstand high temperatures, and the outlet of its snail shell casing joins a vertical conduit 42 that leads upwardly through the bottom wall 5 of the casing A into the circulation space 25, the walls of this vertical conduit, as well as those of the fan casing and duct 36, being effectively insulated. Within the circulation space 25 the duct 42 divides into branches 43 and 44 that extend horizontally beneath the bottom wall of the chamber 15 and thence upwardly along and through the end walls thereof.

Within the bottom of the drying or baking chamber 1 5, and extending longitudinally thereof, is a. manifold 48 that is shown as equipped with upstanding adjustable nozzles 49. Warm air under high pressure is adapted to be delivered to the manifold 48 through a pipe 50 from a high pressure blower 5| that is situated alongside the fan 40 and receives its supply of warm air through an insulated duct 52 from the circulation space 25. Fresh air may be admitted to the blower 5| through a damper controlled inlet 53. As will be seen from Fig. 2, the blower 5i is driven by an electric motor 55, while the fan 40 receives its power through a pulley 56 that is secured to its shaft, and a. belt 51 that is engaged thereover, from a pulley 58 on the shaft of a motor 59.

In the pickling and coating of rod or wire, it is the common practice to wind the rod or wire in coils and to hang a practical number of such coils on each of a series of so-called cleaning pins or hooks and, by means of suitable hoisting and conveying apparatus, shift the hooks or pins, with the coils thereon, successively through the cleaning and coating baths and finally to the drier or baker. In the attainment of one of the objects of my invention, according to my present embodiment, I substitute for a standard cleaning pin or hook, a shaft that is adapted to be rotated.

In the drawings the shaft is designated 60 and the ends of the coil-bearing portion thereof are defined by flanges BI and 62. Beyond the latter is a cylindrical extension 63 that is supported by anti-friction bearings 64 within a substantial hanger 65 that depends from a beam 65 that is adapted to be delivered to and deposited upon the top of the rod baker by the hoisting and conveying apparatus previously referred to. Keyed to the extension 63 of the shaft 60 is a worm. gear 68 with which a worm 69 meshes. The worm is fastened to the lower end of a shaft '10 that is suitably journaled in the hanger 65 and has secured to its upper end an angle gear II that meshes with a similar gear 12 on the shaft 13 of a motor 14. Current is adapted to be supplied to the motor through suitable conductors including a cable 16 equipped with the usual plug T! whereby electrical connections to the motor may be made after the beam 66 has been deposited upon the baker.

In operation: with the combustion apparatus or burners 3| fan 40 and blower 5| properly functioning. a mixture of the products of combustion and air is drawn through the duct 36 into the fan casing and impelled through the conduit 42 and branches 43 and 44 thereof into the ends of the drying or baking chamber [5 and into the openings of coils C of the wire or rod as they all) hang upon the shaft $6. Due to the action and capacity of the fan or blower 40. negative pressure will prevail in the circulation space 25, thus causing the hot gaseswithin the chamber l5 to be drawn oil! through, the openings 22. The dampers 26 may be adjusted sothat the aggregate area. of the openings 22 will be sufllcient to dispose of practically all of the hotgases rising from the drying or baking chamber and in addition thereto a quantity of atmospheric air from' above the chamber. This action will create 'a hot air curtain or seal across the open top of the chamber, avoiding appreciable heat loss at this point, as well as avoiding condensation on the coils. The recovered gases admitted to the space 25 through the openings 22 will be drawn downwardly through the duct 33 into the tempering chamber 28, entering the same adjacent the forward end of the combustion chamber 3% so that, as they sweep about and along the outer surface of the highly heated wall of said chamber, they will be re-heated to a relatively high temperature before joining the products of combustion and proceeding therewith to the casing of the fan 40. Besides the quantity of atmospheric air admitted through the openings 22, a suflicient additional amount of fresh air will be drawn in through the opening 34 to properly revitalize the gases, thequantity admitted at this point being controlled by the damper or shutter 35.

As previously stated, combustion is complete within the chamber 30, and in practice the products attain within such chamber, at a given adjustment of the burner control means, a temperature of approximately 1800 F. this figure being given by way of example only. This will cause the temperature of the gases within the tempering chamber 29 to be elevated to such a degree that when they mix with the products adjacent the discharge end of the combustion chamber the temperature of the mixture will be about 1200 F. By the time this mixture enters the casing of the fan 40, however, its temperature will have dropped to about 800 F., and naturally a further drop occurs between the fan and the drying or baking chamber so that when the gases enter the latter the are at a temperature of approximately 650 3 These temperatures may, of course, be varied at the will ofthe operator by adjustment of the combustion means and dampers to attain such baking temperatures as may be required by the circumstances.

As the coils hang upon the shaft 50 their convolutions will separate throughout the lower portions of the coils sufiiciently to permit the hot gases to circulate among the convolutions, tending to evaporate the moisture thereon; and excess moisture that drains to the bottoms of the coils will be blown off by the blast of air emitted from the manifold 48 through the nozzles 49, the nozzles being shown as threaded through the top wall of the manifold thereby to afford adjustment of the nozzle so as to accomplish the most effective spacing of the nozzles from the coils. Any liquid accumulating in the bottom of the drying or baking chamber will drain through a waste pipe 80. As the shaft 60 rotates, like movement of considerably lower speed will be imparted to the coils C, and this will result in constantly shifting, circumferentially of the coils, the loose condition of their convolutions that prevails throughout their lower portions thereby insuring proper and uniform ventilation of the coils. Furthermore, this action causes a more even distribution of the liquid wherewith the coils are laden when first deposited within the baker.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A rod baker comprising a chamber open at said gases across the chamber adjacent the open top thereof, fluid discharging means situated adjacent the bottom of the chamber for delivering a blast of fluid into the chamber, and means for withdrawing a quantity of heated gases from said circulating means and delivering the same under pressure to said fluid discharging means.

3. In a rod baker, the combination of a chamber open at the top to the atmosphere, means for supporting coils of rod therein side by side and in substantially axial alignment with their axes approximately horizontal, circulating means for delivering heated gases to the chamber in the direction of the axes of the coils and for drawing ofi said gases across the chamber adjacent the open top thereof, and means for delivering a blast of fluid upwardly against the bottoms of the coils. 4. In a rod baker, the combination of an open top baking chamber having inlet and outlet openings, the latter extending about the perimeter of the chamber, means for supporting rod within said chamber, a tempering chamber, a heater in heating relation thereto, a circulating system of passageways exterior of the chamber between the outlet and inlet openings thereof and including said tempering chamber, fluid impelling means in said system for creating forced circulation therethrough, a manifold within the bottom of thechamber having outlet means for directing a blast against the rod, an auxiliary circulatlngsystem of passageways leading from the former system to said manifold, ,and fluid impelling means-in the auxiliary system.

5. In a rod baker, the combination of a baking chamber open at the top to the atmosphere and having inlet and outlet openings, the latter extending about theperlmeter of the chamber adjacent the top thereof, control means for changing the effective area of said outlet openings thereby to regulate the passage of gases therethrough, a heater, a circulating system of passageways exterior of the chamber between the outlet and inlet openings thereof and a part whereof is in heat receiving relation to the heater, fluid 'impelling means in the system for creating forced circulation therethrough, and" means for supporting rod within the chamber.

6. In a rod baker, the combination of an open top baking chamber having inlet and outlet openings, the latter extending about the perimeter of the chamber, means for supporting coils of rod within the chamber in spaced relation to the bottom thereof, a manifold extending along the bottom of the chamber having outlet means directed toward said coils, a heater, a circulating system of passageways exterior of the chamber between the outlet and inlet openings thereof and a part whereof is in heat receiving relation to the heater, fluid impelling means in-the system for creating forced circulation therethrough,

an auxiliary circulating system of passageways through which the former circulating system and said manifold communicate, and fluid impelling means in th auxiliary circulating system.

7. In a rod baker, the combination of an open" top baking chamber having inlet and outlet openings, theJatter extending about the perimeter of the chamber, means for supporting coils of rod within the chamber in spaced relation to the bottom thereof, a manifold extending along the bottom of the chamber, outlet nozzles wherewith said manifold is equipped, said nozzles being adjustable to alter their relation to the coils, a heater, a circulating system of passageways exterior of the chamber between the outlet and inlet openings thereof and a part whereof is in heat receiving relation to the heater, fluid impelling means in the system for creating forced circulation therethrough, an auxiliary circulating system of passageways through which the former circulating system and said manifold communicate. and fluid impelling means in the auxiliary circulating system.

8. In a rod baker, the combination of a baking chamber means for heating the same, rotatable means whereon coils of rod are loosely supported within the chamber and being of considerably lesser diameter than the internal diameter of said coils, and further means for rotating the rod supporting means thereby to impart relatively slower rotation to the coils.

9. In a rod baker, the combination of a baking chamber, means for heating the same, means for supporting coils of rod within the chamber comprising a shaft of considerably lesser diameter than the internal diameter of the coils and whereon the coils are loosely hung, a structure by which the shaft is rotatably sustained, and power means for rotating the .shaft.

10. The method of baking rod which consists in supporting coils of coated rod on a shaft of considerably smaller diameter than the internal diameter of said coils within a heated chamber and rotating said shaft thereby to impart a relatively slower rotary movement to the coils.

11. The method of baking rod which consists in supporting coils of coated rod on a horizontal support, that extends through the openings of the coils, in a baking chamber that is open at the top to the atmosphere, and circulating heated gases through the chamber in the course of which a part of said gases are blasted upwardly against the bottoms of the coils and all said gases are drawn off across the chamber adjacent the open top thereof and are subjected to the heating influence of a heater before being recirculated through the chamber.

CARL F. MAYER. 

